Flash boiler



Oct. 31, 1939. HENARD 2,178,039

FLASH BOILER Filed April 27, 1938 ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 31, 1939 VUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to flash boilers or steam generators and moreparticularly to such of the tubular type.

The invention has for its principal object to improve generally upon thehash type of steam generator so as to simplify the construction andsecure economy in the manufacture and at the same time attain higherefiiciency with a maximum degree of safety.

A particular specific object is to provide a practical construction andarrangement for carrying out a progressive multiple stage generation andsuperheating of the steam whereby to secure a substantial economy infuel consumption with an appreciable hastening of the steam generation.

With the foregoing and other objects and advantages to be attained, aswill hereinafter more fully appear, the invention consists in the novelgeneral structure and in the particular parts and combinations andarrangements of parts as hereinafter described and set forth in theappended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawingillustrating a practical adaptation of the invention, and in whichFigure 1 is a vertical section through the assembled apparatus;

Figure 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 33 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawing, the numeral ll! designates an uprightcylindrical casing which, in practice, may be suitably insulated toretain heat therein, said casing being provided with an upper endclosure ii having a vent opening I2 therein with a pipe l3 leading fromsaid opening. As shown, the lower end of the casing is open, as at M,and located within said open end portion is a fuel burner conventionallyshown, as at it, and provided with a bafile or flame spreader it.

Supported in the upper portion of the casing lfl, as by bolts l'ldepending from the end closure H is a steam dome or storage chamber l8which is in the general form of a cylindrical drum and of a diameterapproximating that of the interior of the casing H3, said drum having amultiplicity of flue tubes 58 extending therethrough for thepassage ofthe products of combustion from the burner IE to the vent opening [2 inthe upper end closure ll of the casing.

Depending from the bottom of said drum l8,

near the periphery thereof, is an annular series of tubes 28 whichextend to near the bottom of the casing l8 and have their lower endportions turned inwardly, as at El, and attached communicably to acylindrical drum 22 through the peripheral wall of the latter, said drum22 constituting a superheating steam chamber as will be later more fullydescribed.

The lower drum 22 is located in close proximity to the fuel burner l5,and while the burner is provided with the bafiie or flame deflector asabove noted, said drum 22 is provided with a series of vertical fluetubes 23 similar to the tubes IQ of the upper drum l8 for the passage ofhighly heated air therethrough in order to attain a more effectiveheating of said lower drum 22.

Supportingly connecting said upper and lower drums l8 and 22, butwithout communication with the interior of either of said drums, is atubular water column 25. As shown, the tube 25 has its opposite endportions respectively extended through said drums l8 and 22 and providedwith thrust collars 25 abutting the opposed inner end wall portions ofsaid drums and being further attached to said drums by collars 26provided on the adjacent inner faces of the outer end walls of saiddrums, the attachment between said tube 24 and drums l8 and 22, at eachplace, being obviously made with leak-tight effect.

The lower end of the tubular column M is normally closed by a removableplug 21, while the upper end of the tube is provided with a plug 28having an axial opening therethrough and a pipe connection 29 betweenthe opening in said plug and a valve casing till located on the outsideof the casing it] near the upper end thereof.

Valve casing 38 is provided with a restricted outlet opening 3! which iscontrolled by a needle valve 32, and leading from said restrictedopening 3| of the casing 30 is a pipe 33 which is coiled, as at 34,around the portion of the tubular column 24 adjacent the under side ofsaid upper drum is, the lower end of said pipe coil 3 on tering amanifold drum, 35 which is supported on the tube 24 between opposedcollars 36 with an obvious leak-tight effect.

The drum 35, hereinafter referred to as the first stage steam generatingmanifold, has a plurality of pipe coils 37 depending therefrom andattached communicably at their lower ends to a second stage drum ormanifold 38 similar to but relatively larger than said drum 3-5 andsecured in the same manner on a lower portion of said tubular column 34.Said second stage drum or manifold 38 is in turn connected communicablywith the lower superheating drum 22 by a plurality of pipe coils 39 ofrelatively larger area and capacity than said pipe coils 31.

Water is supplied to the boiler under pressure from any suitable sourcethrough a pipe 40 which is tapped into the lower portion of the tubularcolumn 24 just above the lower drum 22, said pipe 40 preferably having acoil 4| at some point within its length and in correlation to a heatingdevice 42 whereby the water is preheated before entering said column 24.After the tubular column 24 becomes filled with water from the supplypipe 40 the water over-flows from the column 24 through the pipe 29 andrestricted pipe and coil 34 into the first stage manifold drum 35 and ina definite quantity which is regulated by the needle valve 32, andinasmuch as the water is maintained in greater volume in the column 24than in the restricted conducting pipes 29 and 33 leading to said drum35 the water is obviously heated to a considerable degree within saidcolumn 24 before entering said drum 35, and the water entering said drum35 becomes more highly heated and expands in the coils 3? connectingsaid first stage drum 35 with the second stage drum or manifold 38therebelow, whereupon the steam which has thus been generated becomesheated to a still higher degree and further expands in the larger coils39 connecting said drum 38 with the lower drum 22 in which the steam issuperheated and conducted in its superheated condition upwardly throughthe tubes 20 into the dome or storage drum [8 at the top of the casing10, from. which latter the steam is conducted by a pipe 43 for anyutilitarian purpose.

From the foregoing it is readily seen that not only is the relativearrangement of the several drums and the correlated pipe and coilconnections therebetween such that there is no serious interference withthe application of the heat thereto from the operation of the fuelburner, but said parts are so arranged and connected that considerablerelative expansion and contraction is permitted therein without breakageand thereby making for safety as well as efiiciency in the assembly. Inthis connection, it is noted that a suitable pressure gauge 44 andrelief valve 45 may be provided as conventionally shown in Figure 1. So,too, it is obvious that the manifold drums and corresponding stage coilsmay be increased or diminished in number, depending upon the size andcapacity of the generator, and that considerable other modification maybe made in the general structure within the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined by the appended claims. The invention, therefore,is not limtied to the specific construction and arrangements shown inthe accompanying drawing.

What is claimed is:

l. A flash steam generator comprising an outer casing having a fuelburner in the lower portion thereof, and a generating unit in saidcasing, said unit including an upper steam storage drum, a lowersuperheating steam generating drum in direct correlation next above thefuel burner, a vertical tubular connection between said lowersuperheating drum and said upper storage drum, a tubular water columnextending vertically between said upper and lower drums without directcommunication therewith, means for supplying water under pressure tosaid column, an upper first stage steam generating element next belowsaid upper storage drum, a restricted pipe connection between the upperportion of said water column and said upper steam generating element, anintermediate second stage steam generating element of larger capacitylocated between said first stage generating element and said lowersuperheating drum, a coiled pipe connection between said first andsecond stage steam generating elements, and a coiled pipe connection oflarger capacity between said second stage steam generating element andsaid lower superheating drum.

2. A flash steam generator comprising an outer casing having a fuelburner in the lower portion thereof, a generating unit in said casing,said unit including a steam accumulating drum in the upper portion ofthe casing, a steam superheating drum in the lower portion of saidcasing in direct cooperative relation above the fuel burner, an annularseries of tubes communicably connecting said upper and lower drums, anaxial tubular water column extending between said upper and lower drums,means for supplying water under pressure to said column, cooperativesteam generating elements including an upper manifold drum supported onsaid column, a lower manifold drum likewise supported, but of relativelylarger capacity than said first mentioned drum, pipe coils of a givencapacity connecting said upper and lower manifold drums, pipe coils ofgreater capacity connecting the lower manifold drum with said steamsuperheating drum, and a restricted valve controlled pipe connectionbetween the upper portion. of said axial water column and said uppermanifold drum.

3. A flash steam generator comprising an outer casing having a fuelburner in the lower portion thereof, a steam accumulating drum locatedin the upper portion of said casing, said drum being of substantiallythe same diameter as the casing and having a plurality of flue tubesextending vertically therethrough, a steam superheating drum located inthe lower portion of said casing in direct cooperative relation abovethe fuel burner,

said lower drum being of lesser diameter than the L casing and having aplurality of flue tubes extending vertically therethrough, an annularseries of tubes depending communicably from the bottom of said upperdrum near the periphery thereof, said tubes being communicably attachedat 3 their lower ends to said lower drum through the peripheral wall ofthe latter, an axial tubular water column extending between said upperand lower drums in supporting relation thereto but without communicationtherebetween, means for supplying water under pressure to the lowerportion of said tubular column, sequentially increasing stage steamgenerating manifold drums supported concentrically on said water columnbut without direct communication with the column, pipe coils ofcorrespondingly increasing capacity respectively connecting saidmanifold drums sequentially with said lower steam superheating drum, anda restricted pipe connection between the upper end of said tubular watercolumn and the upper steam generating manifold drum, said restrictedpipe connection having a controlling valve therein and the end portionof said pipe connection between said manifold drum and the controllingvalve being coiled about said tubular Water column.

MARION E. HENARD.

